Latvia's Absence
by Shadows in the Light of Day
Summary: Lithuania and Estonia's punishment may be over, but the Baltics still have to survive the aftermath. With Latvia forbidden to speak to the others and Lithuania determined to unravel the mystery behind Latvia's 'disappearance', will anyone notice how strange Estonia is acting? Will Latvia be able to cope without his friends? And will they all be reunited? Sequel to Interference.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, everyone! It's me, Shadow, but you probably knew that. **

**As promised, here's the sequel to _Interference._ So, if you haven't read that yet, this story will make a lot more sense if you go and read it. It's not that long, only about five chapters. **

**This is going off of the second ending, since I still don't know where on earth the first one came from. Hope you enjoy!  
**

* * *

Chapter One:

When Lithuania woke up, he couldn't remember at first what had happened. He only remembered…

_Did I…die?"_

The brunet Baltic shivered, and opened his eyes slowly, not sure that he wanted to see what was going on. To his surprise, he was in a small, barely furnished room, staring up at the ceiling.

"You're…finally awake," a soft, tired voice said.

Lithuania looked up, and saw Estonia sitting on the edge of a small bed, which was on the other side of the room.

"Yes…" Lithuania said, "What…happened?"

"Eight days ago…" Estonia said, staring off into space, "Something happened that resulted in you being beaten severely and passing out on the stairs. I found you afterwards and took you upstairs, where you remained unconscious for some time. In your absence, I managed to…interfere where I was not wanted…and was sent to the basement. On day three, you brought me water, but were caught in the act by Mr. Russia. We have both been locked in the basement for the past five days, according to Ms. Ukraine, who came here to check on us for a moment several hours ago, but did not remain long, fearing being caught by Mr. Russia. You were dead for the majority of the time we were in the basement, having been beaten severely before being locked in there."

Lithuania paused, attempting to process this information.

"Yes…I remember that now."

"I had hoped you would," Estonia said, "Going into greater detail would not have been pleasant."

"Estonia…?" Lithuania said softly, "Your voice… The way you're speaking… It's…"

"I know," Estonia said, "I am speaking differently."

There was no expression in Estonia's voice, nothing that made it his own. It was a monotone, quiet voice, only telling the facts, and nothing more.

"What happened while I…while I was gone?" Lithuania asked, sitting up and trying not to wince in pain. His back hurt, and he was fairly certain that it wasn't a normal backache.

Estonia looked away, down at his hands, and Lithuania noticed for the first time that the blonde boy was shaking.

"I am trying to forget it," Estonia said, "If I do not think, maybe it will go away…"

Cautiously, Lithuania stood up and approached Estonia, who barely seemed to register his movement.

"What did he do to you?" Lithuania whispered. There was no need for him to elaborate on the 'him' in question. They both knew.

"It's not so much what he did to me…" Estonia said quietly, "As it is what I found out from what he did. You never told me…how much it…hurts. And then he…he practically killed you…for helping me."

"I'm used to it," Lithuania said, "Really. I don't mind that much anymore. It barely even hurts."

"You're lying," Estonia murmured, "I heard your screams, and I saw the look on your face. It hurt…he hurt you…because of me… And it's not right. Not right for him to do that…for anyone to do that… Why does he do it…?"

"Because he's hurt," Lithuania said, "He was hurt, and not loved, so he doesn't know how to love. So…that's why he hurts us. Because he can't figure out how not to."

"But it's so stupid."

Estonia's expression was at once distant and angry. The blonde boy looked over at Lithuania, and the eldest Baltic was almost frightened.

"So the world failed to love him," Estonia said, his voice stony, "That doesn't give him any right to turn around and hurt us."

"He…could have chosen a different path," Lithuania said, "But…he didn't. He's not in his right mind, Estonia. You know that."

"He shouldn't have to be in his right mind to see that he's wrong," Estonia whispered, "Hurting people for no reason... If we were at war with him, I could possibly understand it, but... Not like this."

"It's all right," Lithuania said, "It took me a long time to learn to pity him."

"I don't see how you can," Estonia replied, "When he does that to you so often."

"It's not usually that bad," Lithuania said, "And it's worth it, to protect you and Latvia."

"I should be able to stand up for myself," Estonia said bitterly, "But after what happened...I'll probably just go back to...hiding."

"No one will blame you," Lithuania said softly, "We'd all rather hide."

"But you don't," Estonia said, "You run headlong into trouble, especially when Latvia's involved. Which is a good thing...because he would never be able to cope with this..."

The blonde Baltic frowned.

"Where_ is_ Latvia? I'd expected him to be here when we woke up..."

Lithuania had been wondering the same thing, but had stayed silent, not wanting to worry Estonia.

"I...I don't know," the brunet boy replied, "We should probably go find him and tell him we're safe. He'll be worried."

Estonia nodded, then stood up slowly, wincing slightly.

"Are you all right?" Lithuania asked.

"Fine," Estonia said, "Just a little stiff, that's all."

Lithuania crossed over to the door, but when he reached out to open it, he found that the knob wouldn't turn.

"We're...we're locked in," he said in disbelief, "What is going on now?"

* * *

Latvia was in fact worried about Estonia and Lithuania, although it was not so much about their physical state as it was what they might do when they found out that he was forbidden to see them. Ever.

He actually wasn't sure that he would never be able to see them again, but Russia didn't appear likely to change his mind any time soon. So, Latvia was alone. He had even been banned from talking to Belarus and Ukraine-not that he usually talked to them very much anyways, but it would still have been comforting under the present circumstances to speak to anyone, even the extremely frightening Belarus.

While Lithuania and Estonia had been locked in the basement, it had been easy for Latvia to do his chores without associating with the others. Now, he had no idea what Russia would do to keep him separated from the older Baltics, but he was fairly certain that it wouldn't be fun.

Just as he was thinking it all over, there was an impatient knock on his door.

"C-come in," Latvia said, feeling his ever-constant shivering increase.

The door opened, revealing a not particularly cheerful Russia.

"What are you doing hiding in here, Latvia?" Russia asked, frowning at the small nation.

"I...I didn't know what to do after I finished with Estonia and Lithuania, so I came back here, sir," Latvia answered.

"You should have come to find me," Russia said, "I would have told you what to do, da?"

"Y-yes, sir," Latvia said quietly, "I'm sorry. I d-didn't think."

"Did not think, or thought too much?" Russia asked, "I am wondering if this is not just disobedience on your part, Latvia..."

"It's not! I promise it's not!" Latvia wailed, "Please, Mr. Russia, I swear I'm telling the truth! I've been telling the truth since five nights ago!"

"I am not able to be trusting you," Russia said, "You are too dependent on Lithuania and Estonia. I am wanting you to learn to survive without anyone. Someday you might have to. Really, Latvia, I am trying to help you."

_"He says that, but he's hurting me," _Latvia thought, _"He says he wants to help, but he tears me apart."_

But he couldn't protest. Because he was afraid that if he did, Russia would get angry. And there was no one to save him this time. And, if he was completely honest, it wasn't just being separated from his friends that hurt Latvia. He wanted Estonia and Lithuania with him, not only because they were his friends, but because without them, there was no one to save him if he said or did something stupid.

* * *

**Well, there's the first chapter! I'm not completely sure where this fic is going to end up, so updates may be a little irregular. However, I don't plan on making it a terribly long fic, so it will probably be about the length _Interference_ was, or possibly a little longer. **

**I would say that this fic is going to alternate between Estonia and Latvia, with Lithuania getting a POV every once in a while, but Lithuania has this annoying habit of turning himself into the main character of all my Baltic trio fics, so I'm not going to say anything. **

**Please review, it'll make me very happy, and also inspire me to write faster. :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, awesome readers! I have returned! First off, thank you all for the lovely reviews! It's really nice to know that people like my stories. :) Speaking of reviews, I've been very negligent about answering the guest reviews, so I'm going to try and get out of that habit while I'm writing this story.**

**Guest: Heehee, yep, I posted it! I'm on break this week, so I had a lot of time to write. **

**I can definitely see Estonia having more trouble sympathizing with Russia, although I'm not sure why exactly...but it makes sense to me, so I thought I'd put a hint of it in here. **

**Well...I wouldn't say I'm completely better, but I'm far less stressed when I'm not in school, so the headaches haven't been bad this week. I'm starting to think it's stress causing all of my problems. XD Anyways, I am feeling a little better. Thanks for the review! :)**

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Chapter Two:

Estonia was trying not to think, and finding out that it was harder than he had thought it would be. Banishing every thought from his mind just didn't work. The moment he thought he had finally accomplished it, another memory would slip into his head, and the whole thing would start over again.

_"Don't think... Just don't... Or think about something else... Just try to forget..."_

But he couldn't forget, and he couldn't seem to think about anything happy either. His head was starting to hurt with the effort of trying to keep the unwanted memories out of his head.

His discomfort must have showed on his face, because, more than once, he heard Lithuania asking him what was wrong.

_"What's wrong?" _Estonia thought, _"I can't think... I don't want to think... But I can't stop..."_

"Estonia...?" Lithuania's voice was louder now, but still soft at the same time, which made Estonia think that the brunet Baltic had moved closer to him. "What is wrong?"

"I don't want to be thinking..." Estonia mumbled, eyes tightly closed, as if that might ward off the painful memories, "Screaming won't stop..."

"It's all right," Lithuania said softly, "It will get better. There's no one screaming now. And...you've heard screaming before..."

Estonia could hear the confusion in Lithuania's voice, and, although he wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball and hide, he decided that he would have to explain first.

"Now I know _why _there's screaming..." the blonde nation whispered, "Before...before, I could leave it to my imagination...what happened to you... I mean...I knew...to some extent... I knew what was going on. I'd been hurt before...but not like this...not for so long... I...I can't..."

"You'll be all right," Lithuania said, "It will get better. You'll..."

"I'll what?" Estonia asked, suddenly angry, although he wasn't completely sure why, "Forget? Get better? Get used to it? I'm not like you, Lithuania. I'm not just going to shrug it off and go around with a smile. I don't work like that. There are some things...some things you never forget."

"Just give it time," Lithuania said, "Distract yourself. Don't let yourself think about the pain. There are many things you can do. Work harder, maybe. Work and work until all you can think about is your next task. Or... I don't know... I'm sure you can find some way to distract yourself if you try."

"What do you think I'm trying to do?" Estonia muttered, "I'm trying not to think about it, but I can't stop!"

"It's hard when we're locked in here," Lithuania agreed, "But you'll be okay, Estonia. Things will be normal again soon."

"Normal...?" Estonia echoed, "What's normal?"

"Normal is...the way things were before what happened in the last eight days," Lithuania said, "Mr. Russia will come and let us out soon, I'm sure. We'll go find Latvia, and he'll be happy to see us, and we'll go do our chores, and everything will be normal again."

"Oh..." said Estonia, "So, by normal, you mean that you're going to go back to taking all of the punishment that Latvia and I are supposed to get?"

"Well...yes."

"No," Estonia said, surprising himself, "Let me tell you something, Lithuania. Listen to me."

"I'm listening," Lithuania said quietly.

"You are _not_ allowed to intervene for me anymore," Estonia declared, "I can take my own punishment."

_"Just agree with me, Lithuania. Just let me take my own damage for once..."_

"I can't do that," Lithuania said, sounding completely horrified, "I just can't, Estonia. You can't even cope this one time, how do you expect to do it in the future?"

"How do _you_ expect me to just stand back and let you sacrifice yourself over and over when I know how much he hurts you?" Estonia demanded, "Seriously, Lithuania, I can't do that! It was bad enough before. I was a coward then, but I'm done with that. At least...I hope I am. But I'm not sure I can stand up for myself if you keep trying to save me. So I need you to stop interfering when it's me who's in trouble. Please, Lithuania...just do that for me..."

"Estonia..."

"I'm a nation too, you know," Estonia muttered, "I can take care of myself."

"You're a child..." Lithuania said, and suddenly Estonia was done trying to be diplomatic.

"Listen, Lithuania! Physically, I'm seventeen! Which means that if I was human, I'd be almost an adult. But since I'm actually a nation, it doesn't really matter that my physical age is seventeen. I'm a lot older than that, and I can take care of myself just as well as you can."

"But he'll hurt you," Lithuania said, "You...you won't be able to..."

"You keep on telling me that you're used to it," Estonia said with a strange smile, "So, I'll get used to it too."

"Estonia...you won't..." Lithuania whispered, "It takes years..."

"Well, we've already been here for years, and it doesn't look like we're leaving anytime soon, so I have plenty of time," Estonia said. "Now, please don't argue with me anymore, Lithuania. I won't listen to you, whatever you say."

* * *

Lithuania couldn't believe what he was hearing. There was something seriously wrong with Estonia-in fact, there was something very wrong with this whole situation. He was supposed to be the one who told the others not to interfere when he was being hurt, and told them not to worry, that he would save them. And now Estonia was telling him not to help? Not to do what he had always done, what he considered his job?

_"It's...it's my job to protect them... That's what I've always done... And that's what I'll keep doing. I will _not _just abandon Estonia. No matter what he says, he's still a child. He can't be expected to bear a burden like this one I've been carrying..."_

He would have argued further, but at that moment, he heard the sound of a key turning in the lock.

Ordinarily, he would have hurried back to the other side of the room, but, right now, he thought it would be better to stay close to Estonia.

A moment later, the door opened, revealing Russia, who was smiling.

"Good morning, Estonia and Lithuania."

"G-good morning, Mr. Russia," Lithuania said quietly.

"You are sounding very tired, Lithuania," Russia said, "Are you feeling tired?"

"A little, sir," Lithuania answered, "Although I'm sure that once I get moving, I'll be fine."

"And what about you, Estonia?" Russia asked, turning his violet-eyed gaze on the middle Baltic, "You are feeling fine as well, da?"

Lithuania glanced over at Estonia, and, to his great surprise, saw that the blonde nation was shaking.

_"He's...he's shaking... Just like Latvia... Russia...you...you've d__estroyed Estonia...and you don't even realize it."_

"Estonia?" Russia asked, his voice growing impatient, "You will be answering me, da?"

"Yes, sir," Estonia said, his voice extremely soft, "I am fine. I am sorry for not answering sooner. My mind was elsewhere. I was distracted."

The lack of emotion in Estonia's voice startled Lithuania, and the brunet nation suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to do something, anything, to make the old Estonia come back. And then, Estonia looked up, and the lack of any spark of rebellion in his eyes nearly broke Lithuania's already fractured heart.

"That is good," Russia said, "You may be going to your rooms now. Tomorrow, I will be expecting you to get back to work, but you have today, and today only, to think about everything that has happened."

* * *

It was several hours later that Estonia finally got up courage to step outside of his room. The blonde nation was currently completely disgusted with himself. He had told Lithuania that he could take care of himself, and then he had sat there cowering, unable to say a word, while Lithuania answered all of Russia's questions.

But he needed to see Latvia. If he could see the younger nation, then maybe, just maybe, he would be able to convince himself that all that had happened hadn't been in vain.

So, quietly, in the partial darkness that comes before night, Estonia snuck out of his room, and down to Latvia's. The blonde Baltic tried to compose himself, hoping that he would be able to keep calm, if only to convince Latvia that he was all right.

"Latvia?" Estonia said softly, slowly pushing the door open, "Are you there? It's me..."

But as he looked closely, Estonia realized that something was terribly wrong. Because even though there was no reason Latvia should have been out of his room at this hour, there was no sign of him anywhere. Latvia was gone.

* * *

**Okay, two things that I need to say. Never, ever listen to the song "Hymn for the Missing" by Red while writing. I did not need that emotion right now... Second thing...I forgot what the second thing is. Oh, right! I'm pretty sure that in canon the Baltics share a room...but when I started writing Hetalia fanfiction, I didn't know that, so I'm used to giving them each their own room. So, I guess I have taken a slight random useless liberty with...stuff. **

**Anyways, that aside, this would have been done way sooner, except that I unexpectedly ended up going to my cousin's house for a sleepover, and so it obviously didn't get done on Friday, even though it should have. **

**That said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :) ****Next update should be up on Monday or Tuesday, but I can't make any promises, because my schedule is really uncertain right now. However, I'm planning to update this every couple of days, if all goes well. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, I'm back again with another chapter! Currently, Estonia and Lithuania are trying to take over the story... Now, tell me, my dear Baltics, which one of you has his name in the title...? *sigh* Anyways, I'll just be answering a guest review, and then we'll get on with the chapter. :)**

**Also, useless note, the song "Frozen" by Within Temptation was listened to a LOT while I wrote this chapter, and I think it kind of fits. So, if anyone likes background music... **

**Guest: Thanks for the review! :) Yeah...it was a bit of a sad scene... Might explain why I was depressed afterwards. I'm glad you liked it, though. :) **

* * *

Chapter Three:

Lithuania had been almost asleep when Estonia burst into his room, startling him. Under ordinary circumstances, Lithuania would have been slightly annoyed by the intrusion, but the moment he saw the look on Estonia's face, he realized that something quite serious must have happened. The blonde boy's face was pale, his expression a mixture of worry and confusion.

"Lithuania!" Estonia almost yelled.

"Yes, I'm right here," Lithuania said, trying to stay calm, "What is wrong?"

And it was as if he was back in Latvia's room, eight long days ago, trying to comfort the tiny nation, as Estonia uttered the words Lithuania dreaded.

"Latvia's gone!"

_"I can't find Estonia!" _was what Latvia had said days earlier, and Lithuania had feared the worst and gotten exactly what he had expected. But Latvia...surely Russia couldn't have done something so cruel to the youngest Baltic? Could he?

"It'll be fine," the brunet nation said, struggling to keep his voice calm, "I'm sure Latvia is perfectly safe."

"You don't know that!" Estonia practically shrieked, "He could be hurt! There's no telling what Russia could have done to him!"

"Estonia, please be quiet!" Lithuania begged, "Russia will hear you!"

"He's going to hear from me in any case," Estonia muttered, "I'm going upstairs right now, and I'm not coming back down until I know what that scum has done with Latvia!"

"He may not have done anything," Lithuania said.

"You have no proof that he hasn't!" Estonia shot back, "And until I see Latvia safe in his own bed, I'm going to assume the worst. Now, are you coming with me or not?"

_"Go upstairs?" _Lithuania thought, _"Go knocking on Russia's door? Is he serious?!"_

"Have you lost your mind?" he said aloud, "He won't take kindly to you intruding, and he'll be even less likely to treat you kindly if you go barging in demanding to know where Latvia is."

"I don't believe you," Estonia said, his voice harsh, "Every other time, you would be the one running upstairs to go find Latvia. Why are you so afraid?"

"You're shaking," Lithuania replied, "You don't want to go up there any more than I do."

"Well, at least I'm willing to risk it," Estonia snapped, "Now, are you coming with me or not?"

"I won't let you go up there," Lithuania said, "I can't watch him hurt you again."

"Then come with me," Estonia said, "Or are you afraid? I thought you were supposed to be the brave one. Latvia looks up to you, you know. That day I found you unconscious on the stairs, do you know what the first words out of his mouth were? He asked me 'Estonia, where's Lithuania?' He really likes you, you see. He trusts you, and you're abandoning him!"

"He was _crying_ for you!" Lithuania retorted, "When Russia dragged you off to the basement, I woke up that night and found Latvia crying! And this conversation was _never _about how much Latvia cares for either of us! It's about you running off to do a stupid thing and possibly dying again! I can't let you do that, Estonia! I...I can't lose you again."

"You've already lost me," Estonia said, "Nothing will ever be the same. There is no normal anymore. You can keep on believing that things will go back to the way they were, but it would be very naive of you. There will never be a normal again. Now, Lithuania. I'm going upstairs. You can come, or you can stay here by yourself."

"Estonia..." Lithuania whispered, "Please... Listen..."

"I never thought," said Estonia, "That you of all people would pick now to be a coward."

"I'm not a coward, I just..."

"It certainly looks to me like cowardice, the way you're acting right now," Estonia replied, "Now, for the last time, I am leaving."

"I won't let you!" Lithuania exploded, lunging at Estonia, who was already halfway to the door.

"Lithuania!" Estonia shouted, "Let go! I don't want to hurt you, but if you don't let go right now, I'll..."

"You'll what?" Lithuania asked, attempting to keep his hold on Estonia, "Do something completely stupid? You're acting like a child, Estonia. Just as I told you, you're only a child. _Mentally_, you are a child."

"I am not!" Estonia said through gritted teeth, "Now let me go."

"No!"

"I told you I didn't want to hurt you," Estonia said quietly, "I never said I wouldn't. I'm asking you once more, just let go of me."

"I am never letting go," Lithuania said, "If I do, we'll both regret this day later on."

He had been hoping Estonia would give in, would relax and agree that this entire thing could wait, or that they could go about solving it in some other way. It wasn't that Lithuania was afraid for himself. No, he was afraid for Estonia, afraid that whether he went with the other nation or not, Estonia would be hurt again. And he didn't think the younger nation could handle being hurt again so soon after what they had just been through.

But...by staying here, wasn't he choosing Estonia over Latvia again? Russia had said to him that he was always choosing between Estonia and Latvia, and wasn't that what he was doing now? Protecting Estonia and abandoning Latvia?

"I'll go," Lithuania whispered, still trying to hold Estonia back. "I'll go, just stay here. I'll find out what happened to Latvia. Please, Estonia... Don't endanger yourself anymore..."

"I told you I could take care of myself," Estonia said, "I'm trying to protect you, Lithuania...and I'm trying to protect Latvia too. Face it, you can't stop me from going up there. This is the only way I can make sure you and Latvia don't get hurt."

"I'm the oldest..." Lithuania said, feeling completely helpless, "I'm supposed to protect _you_."

"We're not even related," Estonia said, "You're not my brother. If you were, it might be different. I might have more of a reason to listen to you then."

"If you're going, at least let me come with you," Lithuania said, "You can't go alone! I know how to handle Russia..."

To his great relief, Lithuania felt Estonia relax a bit.

"Fine," the blonde boy said, "Please let go now."

Lithuania loosened his grip on Estonia, but a moment later, he found himself being shoved back against the wall.

"Estonia?!"

A moment later, the blonde Baltic had turned away, running to the door and slamming it behind him.

"Estonia!" Lithuania gasped, recovering himself and running to the door, only to hear the latch click as Estonia locked the door.

"Estonia, let me out!" Lithuania screamed, "You can't do this!"

* * *

On the other side of the door, Estonia listened to Lithuania's pleas.

"You know I can't let you out," Estonia said, "This time, I'm going to protect you."

"You're mad!" Lithuania's voice protested, "You can't possibly be serious about this!"

"I have never been more serious," Estonia said quietly.

"Why?"

He could tell that Lithuania was crying now, but although he was sorry for the pain he was causing the other nation, Estonia's resolve did not weaken.

"I can't explain why," he said, "That will take too long, and who knows what Russia has done to Latvia already? I can't waste my time explaining."

"Estonia, don't do it!" Lithuania sobbed, "Just don't..."

"I'm going," Estonia said, "Stay there, Lithuania. Stay safe. I'll be back...someday."

He could hear Lithuania sobbing as he turned away. Estonia sighed, his voice regretful as he whispered...

"I'm sorry. I can't explain the reasons... But I'm doing this for you, Toris... For you and Raivis... I'm doing this to save you..."

* * *

At this moment, Lithuania was not the only one trying futilely to get out of a locked room. Elsewhere in the house, Latvia was doing the same thing. The small nation had been locked in a room in the attic-which he hadn't even been aware existed-ever since Russia had come to talk to him earlier that evening.

Latvia didn't want to think about what might happen when Lithuania and Estonia realized he was gone. He hoped they would do nothing, or at least wait until morning to act. But, somehow, he couldn't see either of them doing that. Even though Estonia had only stood up for him once, that one time had proved that Estonia cared. Hadn't it? Or had Estonia only been so bold because he knew he himself was already in trouble? Because he already knew he was going to be punished, and had nothing to lose?

Latvia had no idea what Estonia had been thinking then, but it worried him to think about how the other Baltics might react to his disappearance. He was trying to get out, but there was no way. He was too small to break down the door, and certainly too big to get through the minuscule crack between the bottom of the door and the floor beneath. There was one window in the attic room, but it was almost too high for Latvia to look out at all, and probably still too small for him to fit through.

"What's the use of being short if I still can't fit through small spaces?" Latvia whispered, "I need to get out… Need to tell them I'm safe, before anything happens to them…"

And then, as if to prove that something was going to happen, the screaming started.

* * *

**I told you Lithuania would try to take over the story... And apparently Estonia has decided to join him in his story-usurping. Speaking of Estonia, he is weirdly hard to write... Either that, or I just have trouble keeping him in character. So, I have no idea where this chapter even came from. **

**But, I swear this story is going to have more of Latvia in it at some point. Probably in either the next chapter or the one after that, since I need to finish with what Estonia has gone off to do without my permission. I swear I do not control these characters. **

**But enough rambling. Next chapter should be up sooner, since I'm stuck sitting in a hospital with nothing to do but write all afternoon. **


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm back! Well, I was technically never gone... Although I am in a library typing this instead of at my house, but whatever. **

**Before I forget, I have something to say. This _should _be finished before November 1st, but if it isn't, then it's going to end up on hold for the month of November due to NaNoWriMo. (Which my friend claims will eat my disorganized soul...but I won't let it! XD) However, unless somebody else decides to pull a random plot twist on me, it should be finished before then.  
**

**Now, guest review answering...  
**

**Guest: Thank _you _for the awesome reviews! Heehee, yep, I guess we do...**

**Yeah...it does sound like that, doesn't it? (Hey, I laugh at really bad times almost 24/7... And I could see why you would laugh. ;) )**

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Chapter Four:

Estonia had never felt so angry-or so frightened-in his entire life. He had no idea what Russia could have done to Latvia, but he knew without a doubt that it had to be Russia who was responsible for the youngest Baltic's disappearance. And he was going to find out what had happened, if it killed him.

He regretted having locked Lithuania in the bedroom, but it was the only way he could keep the older nation from interfering in what he was going to do. For once, Estonia was grateful that Russia had decided to put locks on all the bedroom doors.

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally reached Russia's bedroom. Estonia paused for a moment, gathering his courage.

_"It would be so easy to just walk away… Latvia's a nation, so he can't die permanently…" _the blonde boy thought.

_"But I can't leave him. I told Lithuania I was going to protect both of them, and I meant it. I'm going to find out the truth."_

Clenching his fists in an effort to stop shaking, Estonia knocked on the door, hard. A moment later, it was opened by Russia, who looked as if he had never gone to sleep at all. Perhaps he hadn't.

"Hello…?" Russia started, only to trail off when he saw Estonia. "Oh, it is only Estonia. What are you wanting at this late time in the day?"

"What did you do with Latvia?" Estonia demanded, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

"Latvia?" Russia echoed, "Oh, yes. You will not be seeing him for a while now."

"Why not?" Estonia said angrily, "Do you really think you can keep me from talking to my friend?"

"Da, I can," Russia said, "Because, you know, I am in charge of you all. If I want to lock you in the basement, Latvia in his room, and Lithuania in the attic, or any kind of combination like that, I can do it. I am trying to teach you all to be better and more obedient than you are, but the more I try to teach, the angrier you get. It is not so good result, so I keep trying."

"You're a monster," Estonia said, "Separating us. Latvia's just a little kid. Do you really think putting him in solitary confinement is going to help anything?"

"I told Lithuania," Russia said, "And you were there when I told him. The only way I can make you behave is by hurting you. I'm trying to help. Why aren't you seeing that?"

"You're not only a monster, you're sick!" Estonia retorted, "Don't you get it? The reason we're not becoming more obedient is because we're tired of being beaten up for doing absolutely nothing wrong! We're tired of all this oppression. Mr. Russia, I think I am speaking for everyone in this house, except possibly your sisters, when I say this. We want freedom!"

It never occurred to him until too late that he had overstepped the bounds of comparative safety, no matter how many times it happened. Once he got started, it was as if he had morphed into Latvia. The words just wouldn't stop coming until it was too late to save himself from getting hurt again.

Estonia felt himself being shoved against the wall, even before he realized Russia had moved. He gasped, looking around for an escape route, although he knew there wasn't one. There was no one to save him, and that was the way he had wanted it. Or at least, that was what he tried to make himself believe. He wanted this. He wanted to be able to stand up for himself and handle the consequences, however painful they were. Didn't he?

"You are not such the smart one," Russia said, his voice very soft and close to Estonia's ear, "If you are thinking it would be any better for you if you were leaving here, you are very much wrong. Outside this house, there is no one to protect you, Estonia. You would have to fend for yourself, alone. You may be thinking you have friends outside, but I have not seen them coming to visit you here. You are all alone, except for me. You may be thinking Lithuania and Latvia care for you. I am not believing they do. You are an acquaintance, you are close to their ages, and you do not hate them like Belarus hates Lithuania. So they talk to you, laugh with you, cry with you. Lithuania protects you. But they don't actually care that much about you, Estonia. They only want you there because you can figure things out. You can solve their technical problems. You even interfered for Latvia a couple of times, which I am sure was not being helpful to his rebellious attitude in the least."

_"Latvia a rebel?" _Estonia thought incredulously, _"Where does he get these crazy ideas?"_

"He might feel a little grateful to you for that," Russia continued, "But when you leave-and you all will leave me someday, because everyone leaves me-they won't want you with them. Lithuania always goes out of his way for Latvia, so maybe he will take him along wherever he goes. But you? You are just the third wheel, useless Estonia. Smart, but not so very useful to them in the long run. They will leave you behind."

Estonia was temporarily speechless. Russia was probably lying to him-he had to be! But if he wasn't… If Lithuania and Latvia really didn't care about him… Then this entire thing had been in vain.

"You're lying," Estonia said, "You're just trying to manipulate me, like you do with Lithuania."

"I am never manipulating," Russia said.

_"Another lie…"_

"I am just telling you what you are too naïve and trusting to see," Russia continued, "Everyone will always leave you. Accept it, Estonia. It is better for you to be here with your so-called friends and with me, than alone out there."

"You're a liar," Estonia snapped, "Lithuania and Latvia do care! We all care for each other! Do you know why everybody leaves you, Mr. Russia? It's because you hurt them so much that the only way they can ever get better is to run away, far away, and never come back! Don't you understand? This is all _your _fault!"

It was the worst thing he could possibly have said, and Estonia knew it even before he spoke. But he couldn't keep all of his anger toward Russia inside anymore. He was going to tell Russia exactly what he thought, no matter what.

Of course, keeping up a brave attitude got a lot harder the moment Russia reached for his pipe…

* * *

Lithuania no longer cared if he woke up the whole household. He needed to get out of his room and upstairs, before Estonia did something completely stupid. If breaking down the door was what it took, then break down the door he would.

Of course, this was easier said than done, considering he was a fairly small, light person, and the door was made of very solid wood.

He was still crying, and as his frustration and worry built, it only got worse. He just couldn't stop crying, for some reason. Usually when he cried, it was after getting beaten, and he usually passed out. But he couldn't pass out now, even if he had wanted to. Estonia's safety might depend on him getting upstairs in the next few minutes.

Lithuania backed into the corner of the room, and, then, after a moment's pause, he ran headlong at the door. However, to his surprise, just before he rammed into it, it swung open, and he ran headlong into another person, who fell to the floor. Unfortunately for Lithuania, he landed on top of the person.

"Get off, you!" a female voice growled.

"B-Belarus!" Lithuania stammered, feeling his cheeks heat up, "W-what are you doing here?"

The girl merely glared at him impatiently, and Lithuania quickly got off of her, feeling decidedly embarrassed.

"I was coming to make you be quiet," Belarus said, "You woke me, so you would have woken big brother eventually. Who locked you in? It wasn't my brother. He told me he was letting you and Estonia out of the locked rooms."

"Estonia locked me in," Lithuania said, suddenly remembering his mission, "I'm sorry, Ms. Belarus, but I have to go!"

With that, the brunet Baltic turned and dashed off, leaving a rather confused Belarus.

"Why was he crying?" Belarus muttered, "He's _always _upset, and when _he's_ not upset, he's upsetting my brother."

* * *

**Me: Well, then... Belarus, how did you become part of this?**

**Belarus: You couldn't find any other way to get Lithuania out of his room, so I came to let him out.**

**Me: Oh yeah... That's what happened.**

**Anyways, Belarus's random jump-in aside, I hope you guys liked this chapter! No idea when the next one will be up...but hopefully it will be soon! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Well, I've gotten one more chapter written... And, hopefully, if I can recover my motivation, the next one will be out before NaNo begins. Hopefully. And that chapter _should _be the last one... I think. Maybe.**

**Guest: Haha, I'm glad you liked it. Russia is VERY manipulative... **

**You're welcome for the chapter. ;) Thank you for reviewing! Yup...Liet to the rescue... Kind of. **

* * *

Chapter Five:

Lithuania ran in with no real plan in mind. He didn't really need a plan, after all. He just needed to help Estonia, and there was no plan required for that. All he needed to do was distract Russia. And, if things proceeded as they ordinarily did, since he was supposedly the larger nation's 'favorite', Russia would be fairly easily distracted by his presence. Or, at least, that was what Lithuania was counting on. It had worked every other time.

He knew he was far too late to do what he usually did. Ordinarily, he would have been able to save Estonia from almost all the pain he would have otherwise had inflicted on him. But as he ran upstairs, Lithuania could already hear the screams.

He was still hoping that it wasn't that bad, that Estonia's screams didn't mean that he had been hurt too badly… But he knew it was a false hope. And when he entered the room, he saw that he was much too late. Estonia was slumped against the wall, eyes wide with terror as he stared up at Russia, who stood over him with his pipe raised.

Lithuania didn't waste time trying to think of a course of action. With Russia, he seldom needed one. The brunet Baltic darted across the room, stepping in front of Estonia just in time to be hit with a metal pipe. Luckily for Lithuania, Russia had missed his head. He staggered back, clutching his shoulder.

"Damn you, Lithuania!" Estonia's voice was obviously intended to be much louder than it was, but Lithuania could still detect the anger and desperation, "I told you not to interfere for me!"

"Lithuania?" Russia said, seeming confused, "This is not very much like you, to be awake at this time."

"I can't let you hurt him again," Lithuania said, hoping that his voice wasn't shaking as much as he thought it was, "Look at him, Russia. Please… He's not well. Just this once, can't you…?"

"Estonia is right," Russia said, "You are too much interfering. Stay back, Lithuania."

The other nation shoved Lithuania to the side, sending the brunet boy sprawling on the floor. Then, Russia turned back to Estonia. The blonde nation stared at Russia for a moment, his gaze seeming at once pleading and defiant. Then, his gaze shifted to Lithuania, and he_ smiled_. For some reason, the gesture hurt Lithuania more than Estonia's angry words ever could, but in an entirely different way.

"Don't you _dare _touch my brother again!" Lithuania commanded, aware that his voice was actually not very commanding at all, "That's an order!"

_That_ got Russia's attention. The taller nation turned to Lithuania, his expression confused.

"You are giving me orders?" Russia said incredulously.

"Yes, Mr. Russia, yes I am," Lithuania said, clenching his fists to stop himself from shaking, "You need some direction, so I am taking it upon myself to instruct you in the proper treatment of your servants."

"I am glad you were pointing it out," Russia said, "As you have just been saying, Lithuania, you are a servant. You also are part of my family, of course. But you are still a servant. Servants cannot be ordering their masters to be doing anything. This could be bringing you much trouble… Disobedient servants must be punished."

"Russia. You need to stop and think about this," Lithuania said quietly, "Please. Consider what you are doing. How would you feel, if someone hurt you every day? If they locked you in a cold, dark room for days on end? If they took away the only people you cared about? Mr. Russia… Please understand. We're nations…but we're also humans. We can only take so much before it tears us apart inside."

Russia stared at him for a moment. Then, his gaze flickered to Estonia, who shivered and looked away.

"You are never learning," he said, "Why is it, Lithuania? Why can't you accept things to be the way they are?"

"Because…" Lithuania said softly, "No matter how hard we tried, we would never be good enough for you, Mr. Russia. If you punish Latvia for dropping a plate…then even an accident would result in the entire cycle starting over again."

"Do you want me to be putting you both back in the basement?" Russia asked.

"That's not even relevant!" Estonia blurted out, attracting the Russian's attention.

_"Why did you talk?" _Lithuania thought, _"Why do you pick _now_ to suddenly act like Latvia?"_

"It is seeming more relevant than Lithuania's chattering," Russia said.

Suddenly, the tall nation stepped toward Lithuania, and, bending down, grabbed the brunet nation's arm. Unfortunately for Lithuania, it was the same arm that had previously been hit by Russia's pipe. Lithuania cried out in pain as Russia yanked on his arm, pulling him to his feet.

"Come with me," Russia said softly, pulling Lithuania toward the door. He paused for a moment in the doorway, glancing back at Estonia.

"Stay there, da? I will come back for you."

Lithuania gasped as Russia pulled him down the hall. His arm had been hurting already, but now the pain was starting to be almost overwhelming.

"Mr. Russia, please…" the Baltic nation pleaded, "I…I'll walk by myself!"

Russia paused, looking slightly startled.

"I won't try to run away or avoid punishment," Lithuania said, "You have my word as a nation."

"Fine," Russia said after a long pause, "You may walk."

He dropped Lithuania's arm, and waited for a moment, until the brunet nation began to walk down the hallway. Lithuania had no idea where they were going, or what was going to happen…and he didn't even have the comfort of knowing that Estonia would be all right.

* * *

Estonia felt like he could barely breathe. He didn't know why, but it felt as if the breath was being squeezed out of him. Maybe he was in shock, maybe there was something else wrong. He wasn't even sure if not being able to breathe would classify him as being in shock. He somehow doubted it.

_"I can't even remember such a simple thing," _the blonde nation thought, _"I could always remember what might mean someone was in shock, in case something extremely traumatic ever happened to Latvia or Lithuania."_

Suddenly, he realized something. He was alone, and completely without supervision. Furthermore, Russia had mentioned an attic earlier. It felt like it had been several hundred years since their conversation, but that was just his brain trying to process everything that had happened. Russia had most certainly mentioned there being an attic somewhere in the house. An attic Estonia had never heard of before in his life. Therefore, it was extremely likely that Latvia would be in said attic.

_"If I can move quickly enough," _Estonia thought, _"I can try to find him."_

He didn't know what good finding Latvia would do, but he did know that he needed to know whether the smaller nation was safe. And maybe…maybe it could do some good, somehow.

The blonde nation forced himself to try and move, gasping in pain as he did so.

_"Last time…I didn't have to move…so soon…" _

He didn't necessarily _need_ to move now, either, but he wanted to. And, in a way, it was necessary that he take action. So take action he would.

Estonia finally managed to stand up, but remained leaning against the wall for a moment, trying to catch his breath.

_"Hurts… No, don't think about that, don't think about the pain. Think about Latvia. You're going to find Latvia."_

But there was a voice in the back of his mind that whispered, ever so softly, that it didn't matter.

_"Remember what Russia said. He told you they didn't care. Maybe they don't. Did Latvia do _anything _to help you the time you stepped in to help him? He ran away, remember. He doesn't care."_

"Shut up," Estonia said aloud, "They do care. Latvia and Lithuania both care about me, and I care about them. We all care about each other, because that's what families do. And…and Lithuania called me his brother."

Despite his words, the little voice still persisted in telling him that his friends had never cared for him, but Estonia paid no attention. Or, at least, he tried not to pay any attention to that annoying little voice that told him he was alone. But it kept on talking in the back of his mind, no matter what he did to try and silence it.

He had thought Russia's room was on the top floor of the mansion, but if it wasn't, then the way to the attic had to be somewhere in Russia's room, as it was the only room Estonia had not cleaned on an almost daily basis. Russia took care of his own room, or made Lithuania do it. Apparently, Lithuania was the 'favorite' even when it came to who cleaned what.

The blonde boy looked around the room, trying to figure out where there might be a hidden staircase of some sort. But all he saw was Russia's closet.

_"You were stupid to think he would have a hidden staircase in his room," _Estonia scolded himself. But, just to be sure, he went over and opened the closet door anyways. And, to his surprise, between two stacks of boxes, there was a door.

_"All right, maybe I'm not _that_ stupid…"_

* * *

**I feel like this chapter really sucks. I'm not sure why, I'm just not happy with it. Oh, well...hopefully it isn't too bad.**


	6. Chapter 6

**So, I'm BACK! Since the internet was down at my house yesterday, I managed to get almost the entire fic written, and I think I can finish up the last chapter later today.**

**Random fact: I have nicknamed this chapter "In Which Everyone Has Conversations Through the Door". You'll see why. **

**Guest: Thanks for the review! Yeah, I would say he did succeed in that...**

* * *

Chapter Six:

Apparently, the attic was not so much an attic, but another floor. Or, at least, that was what it looked like to Estonia as he stood in the middle of the hallway.

_"It looks just like the downstairs…"_

He shivered, suddenly realizing how cold it was on this floor.

_"Except, of course, for the obvious lack of anything comforting. What is this, Russia's secret prison?"_

For all he knew, it _was_ Russia's personal prison. But, as he wasn't at leisure to spend all night investigating, Estonia did not think on the issue for very long, but began trying the various doors. The first three opened easily, revealing cold, unfurnished rooms.

However, the third door would not budge, no matter how hard he pushed on it.

"Latvia?" Estonia said quietly, not daring to raise his voice, "Are you in there?"

For a moment, there was no reply. Then, he heard nearly inaudible footsteps coming toward the door.

"W-who's there?" Latvia whispered.

"It's me. Estonia. Are you all right?" the blonde Baltic whispered.

"E-Estonia?" What a-are you doing h-here?" Latvia stammered, "Does Mr. R-Russia know you're here?"

"If Russia knew, would I be here?" Estonia asked, trying to disguise the pain in his voice. Latvia must not know what he had done to find the small nation. If Latvia found out, then… Estonia didn't have the faintest idea what might happen, but he doubted it would be a happy experience for anyone involved.

"I…I guess not," Latvia said quietly, "But if he doesn't know, then you shouldn't be up here. He doesn't want me to talk to you."

"And why not?" Estonia said angrily, "Does he really think he can stop me?"

"He'll hurt you," Latvia said, "He told me that you and Lithuania were being a bad influence on me, so I wasn't allowed to talk to you anymore. So I have to stay up here."

"Do you stay in there all day?" Estonia asked.

"Not always," Latvia said, "Sometimes Mr. Russia lets me out, and I clean his room. One day we had breakfast together. It's not so bad."

"Stop acting like Lithuania," Estonia snapped, "I didn't come up here for you to tell me to go away before I got hurt. That's something Lithuania would do."

"Lithuania would have found a way to get Russia to let him out by now," Latvia said in a small voice. "He's smart that way."

"Russia just likes him better," Estonia said, "And that's not a good thing, although it does come in handy for him sometimes."

_"Like when he decided to be a blasted distraction instead of staying in his room like I told him to."_

"Your voice sounds different," Latvia observed, "Are you okay, Estonia? How did you get past Mr. Russia? It's the middle of the night."

Ignoring Latvia's questions, Estonia began looking around in search of something that was rather crucial to him actually _seeing _Latvia instead of talking through the door.

"Latvia, where does Russia keep the key?" the blonde nation asked.

"There's a hook on the far wall with keys hanging on it," Latvia said, "I saw it one day when Russia let me out. But you didn't answer my question, Estonia. You got hurt again, didn't you?"

"I'm fine," Estonia said, limping over to the other side of the hallway in search of the fabled keys, "Don't worry about me. Now, how are you?"

"Estonia…"

"Latvia," Estonia snapped, "Please shut up. I am fine. Now, where are the blasted…? Oh, there they are!"

The keys were indeed hanging on a hook, just above Estonia's head. The blonde boy reached up to get them, wincing.

"I've got the keys," Estonia announced, limping back over to Latvia's door.

"Please go away," Latvia said, sounding extremely nervous, "You're going to get us both in trouble."

"Oh, believe me," Estonia muttered, inserting the first key into the lock, and finding that it refused to turn, "I am already in deep trouble."

It took him two more tries to find the right key, and, when he finally got the door open, Estonia paused for a moment, trying to collect himself.

_"However much your ribs hurt, however much your head hurts, Latvia can't be allowed to notice."_

Latvia was sitting just in front of the door. As Estonia entered, Latvia jumped to his feet and hugged the older boy tightly. Estonia gritted his teeth, trying not to cry out in pain.

"I missed you," Latvia whispered.

"I missed you too," Estonia said quietly, "But we'll be okay now."

"Your voice still sounds different," Latvia said after a long pause, "What happened?"

"Nothing happened," Estonia said, "I'm all right. Just…recovering…from that incident the other day."

"You shouldn't have been so stupid," Latvia whispered, "You did something stupid again, didn't you? I know you did, Estonia, otherwise you wouldn't be up here. How did you distract Russia?"

_"I didn't distract him," _Estonia thought, _"Lithuania did, the interfering idiot."_

But he couldn't say that to Latvia. So, instead of answering, he hugged the younger boy tighter.

* * *

Lithuania wasn't at all surprised when his forced progress through Russia's mansion ended at a very familiar empty room. This room usually meant something very painful was going to happen, which was exactly what he had expected.

What he had not expected was to be shoved into the room and have the door promptly slammed in his face.

"Mr. Russia?!" the brunet nation yelped, "W-why…?"

"You will be staying in there, da?" Russia said, "I will be bringing Estonia to join us. Be waiting, okay, Lithuania?"

"I'm not going anywhere," Lithuania said quietly, as he listened to Russia's footsteps moving away, "I'm not going to be lucky enough to escape from two locked rooms in one day."

A moment later, he heard Russia's footsteps stop. Confused, Lithuania leaned his head against the door, trying to hear what was going on.

"Belarus?" Russia said, sounding surprised, "I am not understanding why you are being awake at this time."

There was a muffled reply from Belarus, something Lithuania couldn't quite understand. Something about 'screaming, locked doors, and a loud idiot'. He assumed he was the loud idiot in question, although he wasn't certain.

"Little sister, you should be going back to bed," Russia said, sounding rather on edge, "I will be handling things."

Another muffled reply.

"Fine," Russia said, "There is not any law against you walking around, so you can finish your walking, da? But don't let Lithuania out of that room. He needs to be staying there."

Lithuania could only assume Belarus had agreed, for there was no further conversation, and in a moment, the sound of Russia's footsteps had faded away.

Lithuania sighed, and started to get up, not wanting to be in front of the door when Russia returned. Then, he heard a voice outside.

"What did you_ do_?"

"I didn't do anything…" Lithuania mumbled. He knew it was an outrageous lie, but he didn't know what else to say. What he _had_ done was rather complicated.

"You upset big brother."

"I apologize," Lithuania said, "If it's any condolence to you, Estonia helped."

"You sound different," Belarus observed.

"I'm tired of submitting to stupidity," Lithuania said, "Um…no offense to your brother…"

"My brother is trying to help," Belarus said.

"So I've heard."

"He's not very good at it, though," Belarus added, "Maybe if he'd just marry me, I could convince him to try something different."

Lithuania shivered.

_"Much as I like Belarus, this is one of those times when I pity Mr. Russia…"_

"I doubt it would do much good," he said aloud, "He doesn't listen to anyone, as far as I can tell."

"No," Belarus said, "He's not very good at listening. Not even to you, and you're his favorite."

There was a hint of jealousy in the girl's voice, and Lithuania had no idea what to say. He wanted to explain to Belarus that being Russia's favorite was a very bad thing. But it would be different for Belarus if she were Russia's favorite. Because, of course, sisters and servants are two very different things.

So he stayed silent, waiting for Belarus to leave. But, as far as he could tell, she never did, unless she left very quietly. What she could be doing out there, he had not the faintest clue…but he was sure she hadn't gone away.

* * *

**So, speaking optimistically, the next and final chapter should be up sometime early tomorrow or late tonight. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, guys! I fooled you into thinking I wasn't gonna post the chapter, didn't I? (I actually forgot to post it Saturday...) Anyways, here is the final chapter of Latvia's Absence! :)**

**Guest: I have updated! ;) I actually wasn't initially planning to have Russia just lock Lithuania in the room and leave, but I was pressed for time, and I'm having trouble giving the torture scenes variety. Thank you for the review! :)**

* * *

Chapter Seven:

Russia had formed the opinion that the Baltics were predictable a long time ago, even though the things they came up with constantly surprised him. But they were predictable in a sense, although their actions weren't. They might on occasion do something out of the ordinary when it came to interfering with each other's punishments, but once they had been thoroughly punished, they would do whatever he told them to for a period of time. Thus, Russia was fully expecting Estonia to be right where he had left him.

However, when he reentered his bedroom in search of Estonia, Russia found, to his great surprise, that the blonde nation was nowhere to be seen.

"Estonia?" Russia asked, looking around the empty room, "Where have you gone to?"

There was no reply, which confused Russia even more.

"You will be coming out now, da? Estonia? Where are you?"

He began to look around the room, trying to figure out where Estonia might have gone. When he finally realized that the closet door was mysteriously open, he was already in a very ill temper. Russia marched upstairs, his violet eyes clouded with anger.

"You are going to be in very much of the trouble when I am finding you…" he muttered, "Why can you never be doing what I am telling you?"

* * *

Estonia heard the heavy footsteps long before Russia reached the doorway. But he didn't want to frighten Latvia, didn't want to show how afraid he was of what might happen. Still, he made sure that he was between Latvia and the door. At least, that way, he would be the one Russia would see first, and probably the one who would be targeted.

And when the footsteps stopped, Estonia still didn't turn around.

"There you are," Russia said, his voice calm and innocent, "I see you have found Latvia."

"Yes, yes I have," Estonia said, turning to face the taller nation, "And he is coming back downstairs with me now."

"I am not thinking so," Russia said.

"I think," Estonia said quietly, "That you can't stop me."

Out of the corner of his eye, Estonia could see Latvia shaking. Estonia smiled at the younger nation, then grabbed Latvia's hand.

"We're going downstairs now, Russia," Estonia said, "Both of us. You can stay up here or come down, it makes no difference."

"E-Estonia, s-stop!" Latvia stammered, but Estonia ignored him.

_"I'm not leaving you here alone."_

"Now, Russia, let us through," the blonde nation said, stepping forward, and pulling Latvia with him.

"I will not be moving," Russia said, "However, I think you will be going downstairs soon, Estonia."

"Not without Latvia, I'm not," Estonia said, and waited for whatever might come next.

* * *

He had to let go. He couldn't just keep holding Estonia's hand, not when he had been given an order. It…it wasn't allowed…

Or, at least, that was how Latvia rationalized his actions. He hadn't been a coward, he'd just followed orders. Except, following orders _was_ cowardice, when the one giving the orders was Russia.

He didn't know what might have happened to Estonia, until he heard a loud crash and a scream. Peeking cautiously out the door, Latvia saw Russia standing at the top of the stairs. The crashing noise had come from that direction.

_"H-he just threw Estonia down the s-stairs…"_

As Latvia watched, Russia turned around, spotting the little nation before he could duck out of sight.

"Now, Latvia," Russia said softly, "Are you understanding why I kept on telling you that they are bad influences on you?"

* * *

Lithuania had fully expected to be beaten, confined to the basement, or tortured in some other, more unusual way. So he was very surprised when the door opened, and no one came in.

"H-hello?" the brunet nation said softly.

"You will be coming out now," Russia's voice said.

Cautiously, Lithuania obeyed, moving out into the hallway to find Russia standing there, with Belarus just behind him.

"Go and get Estonia," Russia said softly, "He is in my closet."

_"What on _earth_?" _Lithuania thought, but he didn't dare question Russia.

"W-would you like us to come back here after that, s-sir?"

"No," Russia said after a moment's thought. "You may be going back to your rooms."

Lithuania nodded, then started off down the hallway. He risked glancing back once, and saw Russia staring after him, his violet gaze cold. The brunet boy shivered.

_"Please, just let this night be over…"_

* * *

When Estonia woke up, it was beginning to get light outside.

The blonde nation lay still for a moment, trying to identify his surroundings. The last thing he remembered was being thrown down the stairs, and he was fairly certain he had hit his head on the way down. But he hadn't passed out then, not until later. Not until after Russia had come marching down the stairs, kicking Estonia aside as he passed. Not until he saw Latvia standing at the top of the stairs, staring down at him sadly. Russia had obviously forgotten to lock Latvia back in his room.

Latvia hadn't moved, hadn't said a word, for a very long time. And when he did move, it was only to turn away, back toward his room, leaving Estonia behind.

_"So…he really…really doesn't care…" _

Suddenly, Estonia became aware that there was a person sitting at the end of the bed he was currently lying in. The person had their back to him, but, after a moment, Estonia could distinguish the identity of the person by his clothing and hair.

"Lithuania?" Estonia said, his voice coming out as little more than a whisper, "What are you doing?"

"Don't speak to me," Lithuania whispered, "If you speak to me, I might hit you."

"Hit me…?" Estonia echoed incredulously, "What are you talking about?"

To his surprise, as Lithuania turned to face him, Estonia could see tears in the brunet country's eyes.

"You idiot!" Lithuania said fiercely, "What did you think you were doing? You've made things worse, Estonia, worse for everyone!"

Shocked, Estonia edged away slightly from the older nation. Then, he paused.

_"Maybe it is my fault. If I hadn't been stupid and dropped the tea set that day, alerting Russia to my presence, Latvia would have gotten a beating, and that would been all. But when I dropped the dishes and Russia asked what I wanted, I yelled at him, and that made him angry. I thought I was helping Latvia then, but I made it worse for everyone. If I hadn't done that, Lithuania would never have snuck down to the basement to give me water… Latvia wouldn't be locked in the attic… None of this would have happened, if I hadn't been stupid…"_

"Estonia?" Lithuania's voice was calmer now, his angry tone replaced by worry, "Estonia, I'm sorry I shouted at you… I was just upset, that's all. You scared me…"

Estonia felt as if he had lost all control over his own hands. He had most definitely not made a conscious effort to move them, but they were moving, clutching at his hair, trying to cover his ears…

"What's wrong with you?" Lithuania asked, his voice beginning to sound panicked. "Estonia… Stop…stop that…"

But he couldn't. He couldn't stop trying to block out Lithuania's voice, and, more importantly, the voice that had told him that Latvia did not care about him. He wanted silence, and the silence wouldn't come.

He didn't realize he was crying until he noticed that the bed sheets had mysterious water droplets on them. And even then, it wasn't until Lithuania asked him what was wrong for the second time that he fully realized that he had broken down and cried.

* * *

Two and a half weeks later, Latvia was finally allowed to go back downstairs. As he stood in front of Lithuania's bedroom door, the small nation felt himself beginning to grow nervous. What if Lithuania and Estonia had forgotten about him? It had been two and a half weeks, after all.

But when he finally got up the courage to knock on the door, it was immediately opened by Lithuania, whose nervous expression quickly transformed into a huge grin when he saw Latvia.

"I'm so glad to see you!" Lithuania cried, hugging Latvia tightly, "You're safe!"

Latvia could have told Lithuania that he was hugging him too tightly. But after everything that had happened to them, it didn't seem to matter that he was having the breath squeezed out of him. So he just hugged Lithuania back. Latvia wasn't sure if he was laughing or crying. Maybe it was both. But something was definitely happening.

When Lithuania finally released his hold, Latvia stepped back a little, and smiled at the older nation.

"I'm really glad to be back," he said, "I missed you a lot, Lithuania. And…and I missed Estonia too. Is he okay?"

He didn't realize until later that Lithuania had forced a smile onto his face, forced himself to speak without a hint of worry in his voice.

"Estonia's fine. He's too smart to get hurt badly, you know that."

Later on, Latvia realized that what Lithuania had wanted to say, and couldn't bring himself to, was that Estonia would never be the same.

_"He's broken. He's different. He doubts himself. He blames himself for what happened to you and me, even though it wasn't his fault at all. I can hear him every night, crying himself to sleep. It's terrible. He's never going to be the same after this, and it was my fault for not protecting you both. I'm so glad you're all right, Latvia. If you had come back broken like Estonia, I don't know what I would have done. I won't let Russia hurt you like he hurt Estonia. I promise."_

Everything Lithuania wanted to say, but didn't. Everything he needed to say, but couldn't. Everything he knew was true, but wanted to believe was just a lie.

And from where he was watching, just around the corner from Lithuania's bedroom, Estonia smiled bitterly.

_"So Russia was right, and Latvia and Lithuania really do care about each other more than they care about me. That would have hurt me before. But now…now I'm stronger. If they don't care, then they can't be hurt by what happens to me. Because even if they don't care about me, I care about them. They're my friends. No, they're more than that. They're like my brothers. And I will _never _stop protecting them, no matter what. No matter whether or not they care for me. I will protect them now. I promise."_

* * *

**Not much of a cheerful ending there, I know. I suck at writing happy endings. And, plus, there's a chance I'll end up writing a sequel once November is over. (If these plot bunnies don't stop bothering me before then, that is.) I'm starting to consider the possibility of Estonia losing his mind... but I have no idea what I'll end up doing, if anything. **

**So, I may be back when November ends, and I may not be. But there's a huge chance that I'll be writing more Baltic trio fics at some point, as I usually start writing them when I'm depressed, which usually happens every few months or so, if not more often. **

**Thanks a ton to everyone who reviewed! This story, along with Interference, has been my most popular story, and I hope I'll be able to keep writing more Baltic trio fics in the future. (And find new and improved ways to beat the Baltics up that I haven't already used... Anyways, ignore that.) The reviews really make my day! :) **

**Until next time, I guess this is (temporary) goodbye. See you sometime, everybody! **


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